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Before I get into the neurological symptoms, let me give you a synopsis of my background and family history. Both my parents smoke and my dad was always a heavy drinker. My mom had GERD / Acid Reflux pretty much her whole life and it should be noted that she's basically 100% Norwegian (I've read that Northern Europeans have GERD and gastrointestinal issues more than anyone else - same with the Irish). My mom was also recently tested positive for Celiac Disease (our diets growing up was filled with wheat products, so connecting the dots here, I think she was being bombarded with gluten and her body couldn't handle it). She would have severe mood swings, especially towards my dad (who is now passed on). Her acid reflux got so bad that she went in for an endoscopy and they told her that she had Barrett's Esophagus. She's still alive to this day though and seems to be holding up reasonably well. My sister also has severe acid reflux and panic attacks. Now to get to my own history. I was born in 1983. As a baby, I had severe eczema, and would rub certain areas of my body (such as my wrists) raw on the carpet, because I was constantly itchy. I would also constantly spit up breast-milk and even the baby formula. My parents had a hard time figuring out what to feed me! We would also drink tons of cow's milk. That finally hit a brick wall around age 25 (in 2008), when I started noticing that if I drank straight cow's milk I would end up with (and still do end up with if I drink it) sulfur burps which taste and smell like rotten eggs. I even tried drinking raw cow's milk one time and the result was the same, I was burping rotten egg smelling burps and would get diarrhea! This is also around the time when I noticed my acid reflux getting worse and worse.
In 2009, I started lifting weights again after taking a long break from high school. When I would do any squatting motion exercises such as dead-lifts or squats, I'd almost pass out because I couldn't catch my breath afterwards. I finally went in for an endoscopy and they told me that my esophagus was raw and red. I also should note that I've read getting anesthesia and all the drugs they give you during that time, can cause long-term psychological issues, especially anxiety, which I never really had until after that year. I realized that I couldn't do those squatting exercises or anything that put pressure on the abdomen area, since it would push acid back up into my esophagus. I decided to start lifting weights on an empty stomach and that did work for awhile but I couldn't figure out why my acid reflux was still so bad. Acid shooting back up into the esophagus, is caused by inflammation. This affects the Vagus Nerve (which is the longest cranial nerve). Some of the main functions of the Vagus Nerve include,
1. Breathing
2. Speech
3. Sweating
4. Helping in keeping the larynx open during breathing
5. Monitoring and regulating the heartbeat
6. Informing the brain of the food that is ingested and food that has been digested
7. The Vagus Nerve performs the major function of emptying the gastric region of food
Any damage to the vagus nerve causes Gastroparesis which is losing the muscular function in the stomach and intestines. This results in food being emptied slowly, that leads to other problems such as fermentation of food in the stomach and food getting compressed into hard pellets which can cause severe problems if the pellets get stuck in the intestine. Especially in people with diabetes, when sugar levels get high and are not well controlled, it can result in the vagus nerve damage. This can result in anxiety / panic attacks, OCD (Obsessive Compulsive Disorder), trouble swallowing, chills, asthma-like symptoms, heart palpitations, tingling / numbness in extremities and limbs, blood in the stool, hard of breathing, anxiety attack-like symptoms, canker sores, nightmares (including hypnogogic and hypnopompic auditory / visual hallucinations, such as hearing a gun shot upon waking up, even though no gun was fired), dry mouth, heart attack-like symptoms, and more (I had all these symptoms too btw). I believe that since our bodies are intolerant to wheat and dairy products, it is causing inflammation in the body, which then causes all these other symptoms.
So at that point, I began having hallucinations (including hypnopompic and hypnagogic hallucinations). They were mainly auditory hallucinations and some (but fewer) visual hallucinations. They started around 2013, when I got sick with the flu and also had an in-grown toenail (I had to get it cut out by the doctor and it was the worst pain of my life!). I was extremely religious back then (I left my faith last year at end of 2015) and felt like these were omens or signs for some of the things that were deemed ‘sinful’. I then had a breakup with a gluten-free who lived in Montana and the auditory hallucinations continued. I’ve been having them again starting in 2016 after getting sick with a chest respiratory infection (I’m seeing a trend here with getting sick and having these), which I believe were caused by the Autumn Rhinitis / Hay Fever Allergies. I was at the gym around the start of August 2016, and I felt like I couldn’t catch my breath after each set of lifting. I went home and haven’t been back to the gym since. I was having trouble breathing just walking up a flight of stairs, and it was a daily nightmare until I started looking into ways to help solve my issues (which I’ll get into in a minute). I also don’t have a great sleep schedule from working late night shifts, so I’m typically always sleep deprived. I should also mention that I think I have formed P.T.S.D. (PTSD - Post Traumatic Stress Disorder) from watching a music video where it showed a death. The image of the woman dying kept playing in my head (this also happened around August 2016).
Then on top of all that, I was lifting weights 2 times a week (full body workouts), doing H.I.I.T. (High Intensity Interval Training) a couple times a week in the morning, AND working night shifts. On top of all that, my dad died last year (October 3, 2015) and within a week afterwards around October 10th, I ended up with appendicitis so I had to get the appendectomy surgery to get my appendix removed. A few weeks later, I walked away from my faith (not due to emotional reasons, but due to extensive research, which was already in the process starting at the beginning of 2015). So I lost my dad, my faith and my appendix within a month's time period. It put a lot of stress on me I think. I’m 33 years old, so still somewhat young, but I think I was pushing my body to the limit, and it’s been affecting my brain chemistry. Not only that, but recently, I put the other dots to the puzzle and found out that I also have gluten intolerance / Celiac / Coeliac, so I’ve stopped eating gluten (and dairy) products. I also have done a few sessions of AAT (Advanced Allergy Therapy), by a doctor named Dr. Jill Cohn in the San Francisco / Berkeley / Oakland Bay Area. You don’t even have to be there in person for her to treat you, she does it all online through a conference call on a site similar to Skype. You can watch testimonials on YouTube as well, and I’m here to tell you that her system did cure me of Ragweed allergies. I now understand that because I was pushing my body to the limit as well as trying to stay 500 calories below maintenance (to cut fat and get shredded), that my body wasn’t getting the proper nutrients and vitamins due to eating wheat and gluten (as well as dairy). This damages the alveoli and villi in the intestinal tract which are crucial for absorbing the nutrients from your food. I also found out that my body reacts poorly to chocolate as well. Chocolate is a 'stimulant' and has been proven to affect the brain the same way that cannabis / marijuana will. This could be some of the problems you all are facing as well. At that point, your body is so run down, that it will start attacking ‘harmless’ invaders, such as ragweed pollen, pet dander or even just simple dust particles, which this process of your body in attack mode, will cause inflammation, hence the reason I was having trouble breathing (my body developed exercise-induced / allergy-induced asthma). Not only that, but when your body is so run down and not getting the proper nutrition, it can cause psychosis and schizophrenic symptoms as well! I started taking a ton of supplements and they’ve helped tremendously.
Here are a few to get you started. Try these and eat a balanced diet for a couple months. I’ll bet you start to feel better and the hallucinations diminish.
1. Vitamin D3 (Jarrow Brand 5,000IU – take two to four per day) – This is especially necessary if you live above the 37 degree parallel (latitude) in the Fall and Winter (typically from September to March). The sun only produces Vitamin D3 in our body when it is 50 degrees (altitude not temperature) above the horizon and even during the Spring and Summer, this only occurs from around 10AM in the morning to 2-3PM in the afternoon. So you have only a 4 to 5 hour window in the morning to afternoon when the sun is producing Vitamin D3, which most people aren't really out during those times, because of work schedule. This is why around 75 to 80% of the world population are D3 deficient! A good source of information on this is Dr. John Cannell. Go research how vital and important D3 is for us! You want your ng/ml (nano-grams per milliliter of blood) to be from 50 to 100 (or even slightly over 100 is fine too!).
2. Magnesium (CALM BRAND) – Magnesium is the driver for Vitamin D3. It’s very important and we don’t get enough of it in our diet on average.
3. Vitamin C (take around 2,000mg per day) – Look up Dr. Thomas Levy and Dr. Linus Pauling for good information on this. The Liposomal type of Vitamin C is the best kind!
4. Vitamin K2 (different from Vitamin K1 – Get the Jarrow Brand called Vitamin K-Right) – Millions of people take calcium supplements to maintain healthy bones. Yet few patients or physicians realize that optimizing bone integrity involves more than taking a single mineral supplement. A critical additional component for bone and cardiovascular health is vitamin K2. Recent research has revealed that, without vitamin K2, calcium regulation is disrupted. In fact, low levels of vitamin K2 are associated with an increased risk of heart disease and atherosclerosis. K2 is the gateway that allows calcium to get to your bones. When you take vitamin D3, your body creates more of these vitamin K2-dependent proteins, the proteins that will move the calcium around. They have a lot of potential health benefits. But until the K2 comes in to activate those proteins, those benefits aren't realized. So, really, if you're taking vitamin D, you're creating an increased demand for K2. And vitamin D and K2 work together to strengthen your bones and improve your heart health.For so long, we've been told to take calcium for osteoporosis... and vitamin D3, which we know is helpful. But then, more studies are coming out showing that increased calcium intake is causing more heart attacks and strokes. That created a lot of confusion around whether calcium is safe or not. But that's the wrong question to be asking, because we'll never properly understand the health benefits of calcium or vitamin D3, unless we take into consideration K2. That's what keeps the calcium in its right place.
5. Coenzyme Q10 (CoQ10) Ubiquinol – it’s a substance similar to a vitamin. It is found in every cell of the body. Your body makes CoQ10, and your cells use it to produce energy your body needs for cell growth and maintenance. It also functions as an antioxidant, which protects the body from damage caused by harmful molecules. (Get the Jarrow Brand – no I don’t work for them, but I’ve heard they are the best in all of these, and it’s what I take).
6. Vitamin B-Right (Jarrow) which has all of the B vitamins in it. Niacin (B3) has proven to be very helpful for those with Schizophrenia and Psychosis. Look up Dr. Abram Hoffer and his research on mental illness and Niacin. Careful with Niacin in huge quantities, as it will cause a 'flushing' effect, but you still want enough to get the benefits.
7. Oxylent (which is one of the best tasting and best multi-vitamins out there in my opinion). It’s got most of all you need in there when included with what I mentioned above.
(Those are the main ones above, but here are a few other supplements I take. ChlorOxygen, Serrapeptase {SerraGold Brand}, mushroom supplement called 'Breathe' by New Chapter Life-shield, HealthForce Green Alchemy Protein Powder, HealthForce Vitamineral Green, Probiotics, MSM, Bragg's Apple Cider Vinegar, local honey, and avocados for potassium, along with getting at least a half gallon of water per day - which I drink at least 32 oz. to 50 oz. of water on an empty stomach every morning).
Within a month of taking all this (I started on November 2nd, 2016), I’m now feeling about 95% back to my normal self. The other 5% is caused by my poor sleeping habits, as well as stress. I now realize that these psychological issues were all subconscious from the heavy religious indoctrination. If I had never been introduced to these religious ideas, I’m sure I’d not have these particular religious themed hypnopompic and hypnagogic hallucinations. When it first started, I was seeing visuals such as numbers and objects floating in the air upon waking up, which, they’d disappear within a few seconds. I also hear voices, which would say terrible things, and then the voices would continue in my head as if it were having dialogue with me in my own mind. I would feel like God hated me, due to the content of what was being said. I’m pretty sure I have some sort of religious trauma after leaving my faith and also, after my dad dying within the last year (2015). They actually have a name for this type of PTSD and it’s RTS (Religious Trauma Syndrome). You can find some good material through Dr. Marlene Winell online if you suffer from the religious form of PTSD (Post Traumatic Stress Disorder). Anyways, I hope all of this helps someone else who may be going through similar! Just know you’re not alone and it’s more than likely happening because of nutrient deficiency and/or a traumatic experience you suffered as well as your diet if you are gluten intolerant / lactose intolerant. These aren’t devils, demons, hobgoblins or ghouls harassing you, this is all natural phenomena and it can be treated with the right diet, the right supplements and proper sleep! I am still getting cross-contaminated (or there is a cross-reactor food that mimics gluten and/or dairy) somewhere in my diet, so my psychological issues persist, including waking up feeling like something is trying to talk to me in my mind. I am trying to figure that out now. But they also have supplements you can take that will break down gluten if you are accidentally 'glutened.' Here is a study I found from WW2, that correlates to mental disease and gluten / wheat below.
"One of the first hints that these circumstances could have implications for the psychological sciences was the observation that, in several countries, hospitalization rates for schizophrenia during World War II dropped in direct proportion to wheat shortages. In the United States, where over that same period the consumption of wheat rose rather than diminished, such rates increased instead (Dohan, 1966a,b). In South Pacific islands with a traditionally low consumption of wheat, schizophrenia was only found in 1 person out of 30,000. When Western grain products were introduced into their society, it dramatically rose to 1 person out of 100! (Dohan et al., 1984)."

So i am undiagnosed and have been having severe problems for about 9 months. Ive had stomach problems my whole life. i had a small part of my bowel removed when i was a newborn and had a colostomy bag for 6 months but recovered. I was always active as a child and teen but still had problems, but nothing like this. So now I'm 21 and one day i got really sick in a car and it all started from there! Got very dizzy and wanted to puke. But then i started to have abdominal pain, bloating and bad chest pain. I thought it was a bug and let it pass but it went on for weeks. Then i got constipation and started getting very fatigue and weak. Could barley got to work. One day at work i started having suck bad lower abdominal cramps that they wheeled me out on a cart because i could not walk. I went to the er that night after they went away but since then i have had a lot of symptoms. Mostly lower abdominal pain around my pelvis.( By the way I'm a 22 year old male) . But i have been having bad fatigue, arthritis in my fingers when i wake up, severe abdominal pain that only goes away on occasions, testicular tenderness mostly when I'm constipated, severe stress mostly because of my sickness, bad mouth ulcers, and I'm sure there is a lot of symptoms I'm missing but i have been to doctors and even had a colonoscopy which came back good but I've never been tested for celiac or crohns that i know of. Sometimes i really feel like i dying, the depression had led me to hate everything. I can't really enjoy my wife and kids anymore, can't go out anywhere and have fun because I'm always sick. Im going to see a new family doctor this thursday and try to get some test ran but does anybody have symptoms like me and does this sound like celiac? Help me please i just want my life back. Also i have recently gotten itchy bumps on my hands, wrists and inner forearms and on the right side of my neck( kinda like bug bites all over).

I am in my early 60's and just heard from a sister that she was diagnosed with Celiac. I have never had digestive issues with gluten and so was not concerned. I did browse the internet to read about symptoms and when I learned about DH, it struck a nerve. For about the last 20 years, I have been having episodes of very very itchy bumps on my upper hands and fingers. It only shows up on the tops of my hands and I can go months between episodes.
I have been taking allergy shots forever due to my being allergic to my cats and so I thought that it was just another allergic reaction to my cats saliva. But now I am wondering if it might be DH. If I understand correctly, I would have to go running to my dermatologist when they appear, and before I scratch - almost impossible since they are SO ITCHY!
I took a couple shots of what my hand looked like this last time, after I had scratched a lot. The only thing I find that works is some left over lidocaine patches that I still have from when I had shingles a couple years ago. I cut them to size and then wrap my hand in gauze to keep the patch in place and then leave on for about a day.
What do you think?
Okay, it seems that I can't upload pictures. Someone tell me how to do that, please.
Thanks

Hi all!
I am so overwhelmed right now. I have super itchy skin rash for the last two months that will not go away. I've been to two doctors so far -my PCP and derm. They gave me predisone. It helped, but it didn't go away. AT first I thought it was poison ivy, but I think the predisone should have taken it away if that was the case. The derm doctor gave me two kinds of cream, took a biopsy and it came back as just an allergy. So it's not DH. I didn't change any products, but I am really sensitive to fragrance. I have to buy fragrance free products. And the weird thing about the rash is it's on my stomach, shoulders, back, arms and legs, but not my face. It makes me wonder if it's my laundry detergent, but I haven't changed that either.
So now I'm starting to think it's a corn or soy allergy. I've been doing some research and corn is in everything. I've suspected that I have a corn intolerance since I've been gluten free. I can't eat any of the gluten free cereals except for maybe one or two. and that's only once a week. I know I can't over do it on processed foods. And the last two months I've been going a little crazy with Frito's, so I've been eating more corn lately. Then yesterday I had a gluten free cereal, Frito's and popcorn all in the same day and I swear it looks like the rash has gotten worse. The cream the derm doctor gave me is helping, but it's just not going away.
I'm not sure what to do. Today I'm trying not to eat any corn products, but I think I already did without knowing it. I think it's in my salad dressing. I've been tested for a corn allergy with blood work and it came back negative, but I heard these tests aren't really accurate.
Sorry, I'm so depressed here, but I'm just so bummed. It's hard enough to be gluten free and I think corn might be even harder to avoid. I'll really miss my chips.
So does anyone have any suggestions? Should I go to my allergy doctor to get more testing for a corn or soy allergy or should I just try to avoid them on my own?
Thanks everyone!

Hi! This is my first post
I'm still in the middle of the diagnosis process (blood work for food allergies-negative, colonoscopy/endoscopy-scheduled, elimination diet-successful).
To make a long story short, I'm highly sensitive and have been off gluten (all grains except rice) and dairy for 11 months. I wanted to try reintroducing gluten (while controlling for dairy) at least one more time before having all of the unpleasant GI tests done.
The first time I reintroduced gluten since my initial gluten challenge was this February (9 months after going gluten-free). All of my usual symptoms returned, except that I got a weird new rash on both of my thighs. I only had one serving/day of gluten for four days and the rash showed up after a couple of days. So I stopped eating it, and the rash went away.
Then I reintroduced it again for four days in mid-March (10 months) and the rash reappeared on my thighs, again after a few days. So I stopped eating it and went in for allergy testing--negative.
Then last week, I was glutened from a cross contaminated olive oil "mayonnaise" jar (I'm that sensitive), and the rash reappeared.
I've had a total of 4 doctors look at it and none of them have any idea what it is.
It doesn't itch, it's completely smooth/flat to the touch, and it doesn't blanch or fade when I press on it. My only guess is that it's a mild case of petechiae or purpura, as it looks like I'm bleeding under my skin. It's primarily on my thighs, but I have a bit on my hips as well. And it does go away, albeit gradually.
My PCP/internist said she could refer me to a dermatologist, but she thinks that it's more imperative that I get in to the GI for a colonoscopy/endoscopy.
Any ideas? I'm so sick of being sick
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We are 3 weeks in to going gluten free here. Did it all the wrong way...but to make a long story short- there is NO way I want to put my kids back on gluten now for testing. But, my 5 year old has had a rash for 2 years on his bottom. It bleeds sometimes. Looks like zits. It completely went away after 3 days gluten-free. I tested him 2 days ago and gave him goldfish. the rash was back and bleeding the next morning! 30 hours later after no gluten. it is completely gone!! Now, how do I go about getting him tested for celiac without giving him gluten for months???

So I heard that propel had some new flavors and have added extra vitamins to help hydrate! Just what every celiac needs - extra hydration - turns out to be not so great for me! I though it could be good. Propel has always been gluten free, and helped with my dehydration issues immensely! I usually get the little flavor packets to carry in my purse just in case.
Well I saw the new flavors and I grabbed the new peach one. It tasted a bit funny, so my son drank the rest of it. (I have learned if I don't like the taste don't eat/drink it because it usually means an allergy.) So we were at the store the next day and I grabbed a box of the propel packets. Cherry lime flavored this time. I read the ingredients on the box all seemed to be ok. I mix one packet with 20 oz of water and drink one a day, so it isn't real strong - thankfully.
The runny nose and overnight ear/nose/throat infection, severe cramps, feeling like I got hit by a truck, and you know the rest of the usual fun stuff, was my first clue that something was wrong. I got my antibiotic later that afternoon. (continued to drink the propel - still didn't know) Late that evening I was feeling super thirsty and so I made up a bottle. I drank the whole bottle with dinner. BAD! I spiked a fever of 103. My cheeks flushed bright red and the rest of me was ghostly white. My husband asked if I was OK and I said I was having a reaction to something.
He got me the usual arsenal of pills along with my antibiotic. The next morning I woke with my body covered in DH. Eczema spots the size of quarters on both elbows. I was really starting to worry. I had eaten different things that only I had prepared, so that amount of contamination was out of the question. I seemed to get a little better, until dinner time. I had prepared dinner and made a bottle of water.
About half way through the bottle I realized - oh duh I know right.
Anyways I did some reading. All of the ingredients were the same from the previous kind to the new kind EXCEPT for GUM ACADIA / GUM ARABIC !!!!! (same just dif name)
I have a severe allergy/intolerance to it come to find out.
So I decided to look and see if the not so wonderful peach flavor had it as well.
Nope, but even better it has MALTODEXTRIN!!
So I suggest to any of you who are propel fans - try with extreme caution. I thought I was being careful, but you just never know!
I am still covered in DH and have been for almost a week now. My skin is peeling like I have had a sun burn. I have been showering in baby oil to help. If anyone has any suggestions for home remedies I would love to hear it!! My husband and I are tired of feeling my sandpaper skin. My husband is very supportive, but it hurts him when I pull away. I cannot stand to be touched right now, it is hard to explain that to my 7 yr old. I hug him and hold him anyways, but it is making the peeling worse.
Thanks for reading.
Suggestions greatly appreciated!!